The world’s economic powers appear to be moving closer to a global bank tax in response to last year’s crisis, Gordon Brown suggested today.

The Prime Minister has been a strong advocate of some form of co-ordinated levy on the banks, which could bring in tens of billions of pounds a year from the financial services sector worldwide to help stabilise the global economy and contribute towards development.

He is understood to be hoping that the IMF will throw its weight behind a global levy at its April meeting in Washington, and that a deal can be concluded at the G20 summit in Canada in June.

In an interview with the Financial Times today, the PM indicated that he believes opinion has shifted in favour of co-ordinated action as a result of US President Barack Obama’s move last month to impose a 90 billion-dollar levy on Wall Street banks.

‘I’m interested in the way support is building up for international action,’ Mr Brown told the FT.